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Sunday, 13 March 2016

Jim's column 12.3.2016

Two more defeats in the
last seven days have made Coventry City's task of reaching the League
One play-offs this season extremely difficult. After the Bury game
last month City looked to be back on track following their January
'blip' with a play-off place definitely achievable. Since then four
defeats in a row have punctured the dreams of City's fans who were
hoping to see their team reach the play-offs for the first time in
their history. The blip has now become a slump.

Over the past five
seasons it has typically required 73 or 74 points to get into the
League One play-offs, although last season Chesterfield finished
sixth with 69 points. If we assume 73 points would be necessary for
City to finish in the top six then a further 21 points is required,
from the remaining 11 games (including today's game at Blackpool).
That equates to seven victories or six victories and three draws. On
current form that looks a tall order and only a swift return to the
form of last autumn will suffice. In October and November City racked
up 23 points from 11 games (six wins and five draws) with their
dazzling football. That is the form that is now required.

The defeat at
Shrewsbury made it four losses in a row and the team's worst run
since the miserable days of 2012 just after they were relegated to
League One. Following manager Andy Thorn's departure following a 2-2
home draw with Bury in August, Richard Shaw took over as caretaker
manager, assisted by Lee Carsley. Shaw's team knocked Birmingham City
in the League Cup but then lost four league games in a row:

Crewe (a) 0-1

Stevenage (h) 1-2

Tranmere (a) 0-2

Shrewsbury (a) 1-4

Mark Robins took over
and lost his first game in charge (at the Emirates to Arsenal in the
League Cup) and then lost his first league game (1-2 at home to
Carlisle) to make it five consecutive league defeats.

Shrewsbury featured in
that run as well as the current run and City have a woeful record in
that town. In fifteen league visits the Sky Blues have won just once,
at Easter 1958 when they turned around a 1-0 half-time deficit to win
3-1 with goals from Ray Straw (2) and Peter Hill.

Following last week's
home defeat to Rochdale Keith Ballantyne wrote to me about City's
record against Lancashire clubs in recent seasons. He wrote:

'the successive
home defeats to Fleetwood and Rochdale (a 'City hoodoo' club in their
own right if my memory serves me correctly?), plus Oldham's late
equaliser at home last year and not to mention the legendary curse
of Deepdale, the 6-0 thumping of Bury and the earlier wins
against Wigan and Fleetwood aside, do you think there is
any evidence to support a theory that City don't always do too well
against sides from west of the Pennines ?

Keith is spot on about
the Preston curse – City have never won at Deepdale in a league
game. Rochdale too have become a 'hoodoo' club for the Sky Blues. For
the second season running City have failed to beat a club who
struggle to get 3,000 for home games and in 13 league and cup
meetings with 'Dale' City have a solitary League Cup victory to their
name. Oldham also have been a thorn in City's side over the last four
seasons and City have managed to win only two of seven meetings.

I thought it worthwhile
looking at the stats over the last four seasons (since we were
relegated from the Championship). I have included teams from Greater
Manchester (Wigan, Bury & Rochdale) and Merseyside (Tranmere) in
my analysis and the results don't make pleasant reading.

At home the record
against what Keith describes as 'Lancashire Laddies' is pretty poor
with only four wins from 17 games, two of which were in 2012-13 and
the other two this season (Bury 6-0 and Wigan 2-0), and nine draws.
Away from home the Sky Blues have played 14 and won four, drawn four
and lost six but apart from the two victories at Fleetwood have not
won in eight trips north. The win ratio over Lancs' clubs over the
period is only 25% compared to an overall win ratio of 36%. The
statistics do seem to support Keith's theory about clubs from west of
the Pennines. Let's hope City's form changes today at the Lancashire
seaside at a ground no Coventry City side has won at since 1923.

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About Me

I have supported Coventry City FC since my first visit to Highfield Road in 1962. I am the club's official historian and have a regular column in the Coventry Telegraph. Here I would like to enable my readers who can't buy the paper to access my columns and comment.